Machine for surfacing leather.



G. A. LOMBARD.

MAGHINE FOB SURPAOING LEATHER. APPLICATION FILED rma.2,1910.

963,303. Patented July 5, 1910.

Tim NORRIS PETZRS co., wAsmNaioN, n. c.

CHARLES A. LOMBABD, or iaosroiv, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR or sano ISAACS,or. BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

rick.

ONE-HALF TO MACHINE FOR SURFACING LEATHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

a citizen of the United States, and resident' of Boston, county ofSuffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inMachines for Surfacing Leather, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, likecharacters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention has for its object the production of a machine forsurfacing leather, whereby the hard manual labor now employed may begreatly reduced while at the same time the output of an operator islargely increased.

At the present time it is very common to surface or polish leather byhand, the piece of leather to be surfaced being supported on a tablewhile the operator goes over the surface with a heavy heated iron,imparting various movements to the iron according to the requirements ofthe work, and adding his weight to that of the iron by hearing down uponit while it is moved over the leather. This operation is slow and veryexhausting, not only by reason of the more or less constrained positionnecessarily assumed by the operator but also because of the strengthwhich he has to exert in order to provide the necessary pressure.

In the machine forming the subjectmatter of this invention I suspend thesurfacing or smoothing iron above a work-support, the latter beingvertically movable at the will of the operator to vary the pressureexerted by the iron upon the work.

The suspended iron is heated in any suitable manner, and I have providedmechanism for imparting to the iron various movements and combinationsof movements, so that it closely simulates the movements of thehand-actuated iron now in general use.

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described inthe subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in thefollowing claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken out, of a machine forsurfacing leather embodying one practical form of my present invention;Fig. 2 is a detail of the contact device for the electric heating meansfor the iron; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a portion of the controllingmeans for effecting certain movements of the iron, to be described; Fig.42 is a similar view, centrally broken out, of the device for impartingan oscillatory movement to the iron; Fig. 5 is an under side view of aportion of the controlling means shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1 a heavy upright hollow standard or pillar 1 isrigidly attached in suitable manner to the floor, and on its interiorhas upright guides 2, 2 upon which is slidably mounted a leg 3 securedto and depending from a flat, laterally enlarged head 4, shown asresting on the top of the standard 1. The latter sustains at 5 afoot-treadle 6, the short inner arm of which extends into the standardand is pivotally connected by a longitudinally-rigid link 7 with the leg3. By depressing the treadle the link acts to raise the head 4 and withthe latter the work-support 8, which latter is in practice covered witha blanket 9, said work-support being movable laterally upon theverticallymovable head 4 in order to bring different portions of thework within the field of action of the surfacing member. Above thework-support at a suitable distance therefrom I provide an overheadsupport, such as a heavy horizontal beam 10, provided with suitablevertical and parallel sleevelike bearings 11, 12, a Vertical drivingshaft 13'being rotatably mounted in the bearing 11 and held in place bysuitable collars 14:. A pulley 15 fast on said shaft is driven by a belt16 leading from a suitable source of power, not shown, and above theoverhead support 10 said shaft has secured to it a stepped pulley 17 anda crank disk 18, shown in plan Fig. 4. The disk is radially slotted at19 to receive and guide a block having a wrist-pin 20, Fig. l, held inradially adjusted position by means of a threaded shaft 21, rotatablymounted in a part of the disk and engaging a threaded hole in thewrist-pin block. By applying a suitable tool to the exposed polygonalend 22 of said threaded shaft and turning the latter the wrist-pin 20will be 'moved toward or from the center of the disk, as will beapparent.

The use of this device will be referred to hereinafter.

A manually controlled clutch 23, Fig. 1,

p Patented July 5, 1910. Application filed February 2, 1910; Serial No.541,424.

is arranged to connect or disconnect the lower end of the driving shaft13 with a pinion 24 meshing with a gear 25, said pinion and gear beingrotatably mounted on a bracket 26 extended horizontally from an upright27 which sustains one end of the overhead support 10. The shaft of thegear 25 extends through a bearing in said bracket and has attached to ita disk 28, the under face of which is shown in Fig. 5, said disk beingradially slotted to guide a block 29 having a headed wrist-pin 30, thelatter being held in adjusted position by a screwshaft 31, similar tothe shaft 21 on the disk 18. Upon the wrist-pin is loosely mounted acoupling yoke 32 pivotally connected at 33 to a long, substantiallyhorizontal link 34 having an elongated longitudinal slot 35, Fig. 3,said link having at its opposite end a collar 36 connected therewith bya universal joint 37. The link is sustained in horizontal position by ashouldered fulcrumstud 38 which is adjustably held by a set nut 39 in alongitudinal slot 40 made in the end of an arm 41 extended from theupright 27.

Then the wrist-pin 30 is off center rotation of the disk 28 will effecta longitudinal reciprocating movement of the link 34 and at the sametime it will have a horizontal rocking motion about the fulcrum-stud 38,which extends through the slot 35, so that the collar 36 will be given arevolving motion in a horizontal path. By changing the position of thestud 38 the amplitude of movement of the collar will be increased ordiminished, and by setting the wrist-pin 30 at the center of the disk 28the collar will remain stationary whether or not the clutch 23 is inoperation. A shaft 42 is rotatably mounted in the bearing 12 and has anattached step-pulley 43 on its upper end, reversed as to the pulley 18,and said pulleys are connected ordinarily by a belt 44, Fig. 1. Collars45 on the shaft 42 retain it in position, the lower end of said shaftcarrying one member 46 of a universal joint, the other member 47 thereofbeing rigidly attached to a hollow spindle 48 which is extendedrotatably through the collar 36, rings 49 on the spindle above and belowthe collar positioning it on said spindle. A surfacing iron 50 isconnected by a universal joint 51 with the lower end of the spindle, atsuch a height that normally the iron is held suspended far enough abovethe work-support 8, when the latter is in full-line position, Fig. 1, topermit the ready insertion or removal of the leather to be surfaced.

It will be understood that by the connecting belt 44 thespindle 48 andthe connected iron 50 will be rotated at rather high speed, variable bymeans of the stepped pulleys, and when the clutch 23 is thrown in therotation of the disk 28 will act by the means described to impart abodily revolving movement to the iron, two extremes of such movementbeing shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. This compound movement of theiron very closely approaches the circular motion imparted to the iron inhand surfacing, but herein the weight of the iron and its motion aretaken care of mechanically, the operator having both hands free tomanipulate the work beneath the iron, presenting one portion afteranother to be acted upon. Any desired pressure is attained by pressureon the treadle 6, by means of which the head 4 and work-support 8 areraised to press the work with the requisite force against the iron, thelatter at all times resting fiat upon the surface of the work.

In practice the iron will be heated in any suitable manner, by gas,steam, or electricity, the heating means forming no part of myinvention, but I have shown leading-in wires 52 for an electric heater,carried down to the iron through the spindle 48, the upper ends of saidwires being attached to insulated contact rings 53, 54, mounted on theshaft 42, see Fig. 2. Suitable contact fingers 53 54 engage the ringsand form the terminals of the line wires 55. By throwing out clutch 23the iron 50 is given a movement of axial rotation only, which isdesirable when working on a very high finish or 011 leather which willnot permit of rough usage, the blanket 9 on the work-support preventingthe work from slipping about.

It is sometimes desirable to reciprocate the iron back and forth overthe work while it is rotated, and this is readily effected by removingthe fulcrum-stud 38 and moving into dotted line position, Fig. 1, aforked guide 56, which then embraces the spindle 48 and causes it toswing back and forth in a straight path as the disk 28 revolves, saidguide being adjustably mounted on a hanger 57 on the overhead support10. Sometimes a very slight ironing is required, or the leather may havea tendency to rough up under the other motions of the iron previouslydescribed, and in such cases I throw out clutch 23 and remove thetransmitting belt 44. I now connect, by a link 58, Fig. 4, the wrist-pin20 and a pin 59 on a radial arm 60 fast on the upper end of shaft 42above the pulley 43, the link being indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1.Now as the driving shaft 13 rotates the wrist-pin 20 will act throughlink 58 and the radial arm 60 to oscillate the shaft 42 and the iron 50,the amplitude of oscillation being determined by adjustment of thewrist-pin 20 toward or from the center of the disk 18. I can obtain acombination of such oscillating movement and a bodily revolving movementof the iron by throwing in the clutch 23, the link 34 rocking on thestud 38, this combined movement being very effective when ironing largehides or pieces of leather.

a From the foregoing description it will b'e understood that I canobtain a great variety of movements for the surfacing member or iron;that the pressure exerted thereby upon the work can be increased anddiminished as required, and that the surfacing operation can be carriedon with very little manual labor and with much greater speed than isattainable by the present hand process. J

Manifestly the oscillation of the surfacing member 50 is neverpossiblewhen the said member is axially rotated, and vice 'versa, butthe oscillation and bodily revolving movement can be combined, and theaxial rotation of the member 50 can be combined with the bodilyrevolutions thereof, or with the reciprocating movement when the spindle48 is in cooperation with the guide 56, or a purely rotary motion of thesurfacing member can be had.

Various changes or modifications may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forthin the annexed claims.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus of the class described, aWork-support, a surfacing member, a rotatable overhead shaft mounted ina vertical bearing, a universally jointed spindle connecting said shaftand the surfacing member and suspending the latter, actuating means forsaid shaft, and manually controlled means to vary the pressure of thesurfacing member upon the work.

2. In apparatus of the class described, a work-support, a rotatable,swinging spindle, a surfacing member, a universal joint connecting itwith the lower end of the spindle, overhead supporting means for saidspindle, a universal joint connecting said means and the upper end ofthe spindle, an instrumentality acting through said means to effectaxial rotation of the spindle and surfacing member, means cooperatingwith said spindle to swing the latter upon the upper universal joint asa fulcrum and thereby impart a bodily movement to the surfacing member,and manually controlled means to move the work-support toward or fromthe said member.

3. In apparatus of the class described, a work-support, a heatedsurfacing iron, an overhead supporting shaft, a universallyjointedconnection between it and the iron, to suspend the latter and effectrotation thereof in unison with the supporting shaft, a driving shaft,separate connections between said shafts, to oscillate or rotate,respectively, the iron-supporting shaft, mechanism intermediate thedriving shaft and said universally jointed connection to impart a bodilymovement to the iron over the work on the work-support, andmanuallyspindle above the work-support, means to effect, through theshaft and spindle, axial movement of the iron, and other meanscooperating with the spindle to swing the latter and thereby move saidiron bodily over the worr.

5. In apparatus of the class described, a manually controlled,vertically movable work-support, a heated surfacing iron, an overhead,vertical shaft, a spindle depending therefrom and jointed to the iron,to suspend the latter above the work-support, a driving shaft, separateconnections between it and the spindle-supporting shaft, to rotate oroscillate the latter, respectively, means connected with the spindle toswing the latter and thereby effect bodily movement of the iron, and aninstrumentality to connect or disconnect said means and the drivingshaft.

6. In apparatus of the class described, a manually controlled,vertically movable work-support, a heated surfacing iron, an overhead,vertical shaft, a spindle, universal joints connecting it with saidshaft and the surfacing iron, to thereby suspend the latter, separatemeans to respectively rotate and oscillate the shaft and the partsconnected therewith, a link operatively c011- nected with the spindle,to swing the same while permitting rotative movement thereof, andmechanism to actuate the link and thereby efliect a swinging movement ofthe spindle, moving the iron bodily over the work.

7. In apparatus of the class described, a manually controlled,vertically movable work-support, a heated surfacing iron, an overhead,vertical shaft, a spindle depending therefrom and jointed to the iron,to suspend the latter above the work-support, a driving shaft,variable-speed transmitting means between it and the spindle-shaft, torotate the latter, other means to effect oscillatory motion of thespindle-shaft, and means operatively connected with the spindle to swingthe latter when either of said spindle-shaft actuating means is inoperation.

8. In apparatus of the class described, a Work-support, a heatedsurfacing iron, an overhead supporting shaft from which the iron issuspended and with which it rotates in unison, a driving shaft, separateconnections between said shafts, to oscillate or rotate, respectively,the iron-supporting shaft, mechanism to impart a bodily movement to theiron over the work on the worksupport, a clutch intermediate saidmechanism and the driving shaft, and manually controlled means toregulate the pressure of the iron upon the work.

9. In apparatus of the class described, a manually controlled,vertically movable work-support, a heated surfacing iron, an overhead,vertical shaft, a spindle depending therefrom and jointed to the iron,to suspend the latter above the work-support, a driving shaft, separateconnections between it and the spindle-supporting shaft, to rotate oroscillate the latter, respectively,

means connected with the spindle to swing 1 the latter and therebyeflect bodily movement of the iron, a clutch between the saidspindle-swinging means and the driving shaft, and a guide movable intoposition to cooperate with, and confine the swinging movement of, thespindle to a straight path. In testimony whereof, I have signed my nameto this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES A. LOMBARD. [1 s] WVitnesses EDWARD F. ALLEN, FREDK. L.sinvnns'rnm.

